Chapter 404

First Volume, Chapter 404: War Begins!

Under the fierce opposition of the strategist, several hot-headed officers swallowed their rage and watched Qin Feng depart, surrounded by black cavalry.

As soon as Qin Feng left, the strategist shouted: "Quickly mobilize the army and march to Pingnan County!"

One deputy general clenched his fists and roared: "Why didn't you let us kill that bastard Qin Feng earlier?!"

"Now that the general is a hostage, isn't our entire army being held hostage by Qin Feng?!"

The strategist waved his hand, his gaze grim: "If you kill Qin Feng, you'll soon face the Imperial Party's army. Beixi County is a critical frontier gate on the Northern Border—if we divert troops to fight them, the Beidi forces will surely exploit the weakness. At that point, Shedynasty will be on the brink of collapse. Though rival factions fight among themselves, none wish to see Shedynasty fall!"

"This Qin Feng is deeply cunning—he understood the general's mindset and dared act with impunity! You've all seen the boy's tactics. Quickly mobilize and prepare for battle. Don't delay. This humiliation today, we'll repay a hundredfold later—but prioritize the greater good."

Though the officers seethed with rage, they had no choice but to obey.

After leaving the Che Ji Army, Qin Feng did not head to Beixi County. Instead, he turned his horse's head and rode directly to Pingnan County to oversee the battle.

Meanwhile, in Beixi County, Li Lang's troops, having left the city, did not return. They changed course and headed for the Northern Border front line.

Beixi County assembled all its forces, led by Li Lang and Wu Wei, and launched a surprise attack on the Sanggan Army, which had just arrived and was still half-encamped on the front line.

On the walls of Beixi County, Li Zhang stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

Beside him, Lin Quqi frowned tightly: "Prince, Brother Qin's original intent was to mobilize troops to intimidate the Che Ji General—why has he suddenly changed course and launched a stealth strike against the Sanggan Army? That army is one of Beidi's main forces. If we mishandle this, we may…"

Before Lin Quqi could finish, Li Zhang waved his hand and burst into laughter: "County Magistrate Lin, you're skilled in people's livelihood, not military strategy—that's understandable. War isn't about surface appearances—it demands a grand strategic view. The Sanggan Army arrives just as Pingnan County rebels. That's no coincidence."

"The imperial inside agent, the Pingnan rebel Huang Cheng, and the Sanggan Army—they're working together to deliver Shedynasty a deadly blow."

"Once fighting breaks out in Pingnan, the Sanggan Army will receive word and immediately advance on Beixi County."

"Brother Qin's mobilization to intimidate the Che Ji General is only one goal. Suppressing the Pingnan rebellion is the second. But what he truly cares about is the Sanggan Army. Attacking them while they're half-encamped will cripple them, disrupt their deployment, and buy time to crush the rebels in Pingnan."

Lin Quqi stared, dumbfounded—the depth of strategy in this war between nations exceeded his comprehension.

Fortunately, Li Zhang had come to assist. Without him, Lin Quqi could never have grasped Qin Feng's intent—and would have missed the critical opportunity.

Almost as soon as the Beidi spies returned to camp and reported Beixi County's movements, Li Lang and Wu Wei's armies arrived.

Li Lang, wielding a horse spear, led five hundred heavily armored black cavalry, smashing straight through the camp gate and charging inward.

The hastily responding Beidi soldiers fired arrows in retaliation. Within one Envoy, the five hundred black cavalry became five hundred hedgehogs—yet even covered head to toe in arrows, their combat effectiveness remained undiminished.

Thanks to the Highland Horse's exceptional endurance, the black cavalry's armor was superior and heavier than standard heavy cavalry armor, especially at vital points, where iron plates were directly installed.

The sheer weight of this armor alone would crush an ordinary soldier, rendering him unable to rise.

Ordinary arrows bounced off the armor.

Armor-piercing arrowheads stuck in the armor—but their force was insufficient to penetrate the thick plates. Even the strongest archers, expending all their strength, could pierce the armor—yet beneath it lay layers of cotton, hemp, and bamboo slats, shielding the riders entirely.

Even the warhorses' vital areas were sheathed in armor plates.

The black cavalry moved slowly, abandoning mobility entirely, charging straight ahead.

Faced with the overwhelming tide of black cavalry, the Beidi soldiers panicked—they had never seen such resilient heavy cavalry.

Wu Wei's New Army arrived shortly after, slaughtering wildly, charging left and right—all light cavalry.

Though their horses were all local Liang-bred, the thousands of light cavalry charging into the camp turned it into a one-sided massacre.

By the time the Sanggan Army's reinforcements arrived, Li Lang and Wu Wei had already begun organizing a retreat.

Li Lang led the black cavalry ahead, while the light cavalry formed the rear guard, blocking pursuit step by step until they withdrew nearly ten li. The Beidi cavalry, fearing an ambush, finally abandoned pursuit.

In just one afternoon of battle, Beixi County lost two black cavalrymen and eighty light cavalry—but killed or wounded over a thousand Sanggan soldiers.

The Beidi commander arrived at the camp and, seeing the devastation, burned with rage.

"When did Beixi County produce so many cavalry?!"

A staff officer, stumbling over, reported: "The enemy's light cavalry rode only Liang-bred horses—short, weak, and thin. But the attack came suddenly; our infantry couldn't react in time, and the light cavalry charged back and forth. Our cavalry pursued, but the Beixi riders dropped armor and abandoned corpses—dozens of them—only fleeing."

Hearing this, the Beidi commander roared: "Damn it! Do you take me for a blind fool? If they were merely Liang-bred cavalry, how could they charge through our gates?!"

The staff officer turned pale, recalling the scene, a chill running down his spine: "B-Besides the light cavalry… there were… hundreds of heavily armored cavalry. Those riders… they were even more elite than our own Di cavalry. They charged through arrow rain and lost only two men."

"The enemy's heavy cavalry broke through our gates; the light cavalry guarded the rear. When our cavalry rushed to reinforce, the heavy cavalry withdrew first, protected by the light cavalry's retreat."

The commander's expression darkened and flickered.

He had assumed that with this overwhelming force, Beixi County would tremble in fear…

Yet before his feet had even settled, Beixi County delivered a downward warning.

That once-decaying little county, which couldn't even muster enough town guards, had now grown to this: heavy cavalry breaking formations, thousands of light cavalry holding the line…

Chen Si was right!

If we let Beixi County continue developing like this, we won't need to fight any future battles.

"Mobilize the army! Attack Beixi County tomorrow!"

The commander immediately ordered.

At that moment, a messenger reported again: "General, our rear has been attacked—the convoy transporting siege equipment suffered heavy losses."

"What?!" The commander's eyes widened.

The messenger knelt on one knee, gritting his teeth: "The escort cavalry rushed to reinforce the camp—fell for the tiger-tempting stratagem. The remaining hundred-odd guards of the convoy were annihilated. That stealth force moved swiftly and fought ferociously—only dozens of them, but they targeted the equipment, destroyed it, and from the arrowheads, they appear to be Tianji Camp Guards."